The revolutionary pocket computer continues to sell like hot pies! element14 has manufactured more than 500,000 Raspberry Pi computers since the launch in February last year.

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Wednesday, January 09, 2013:
element14, a high-service distributor of electronic components, has inked a new distribution deal with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to sell the credit-card sized computer around the world.

Almost one year since the launch of the Raspberry Pi, more than half a million Raspberry Pi computers have rolled off the element14 production line. If that number of devices stood end to end, they would span 25.6 miles, a distance exceeding even the 24 miles Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner skydived last year.

If you're new to the world of Raspberry Pi, it is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It can be used for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video.

In a year that saw Linux hobbyists and embedded computing enthusiasts fall in love with the credit-card-sized computer, element14 brought production of the Raspberry Pi to the UK from China last year. The microcomputer was only manufactured in China till September 2012.

Mike Buffham, global head of EDE at element14, said: "It seems every time we talk about the Raspberry Pi we say it has been a true phenomenon, but it genuinely has been one. Now less than a year on, we have manufactured over 500,000 at element14 alone, and we are delighted to have signed a new global contract with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to continue to play a pivotal role in putting computer programming back at the heart of engineers, both young and old."

Eben Upton, co-founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, said: "Since the Raspberry Pi was launched globally in February 2012 it has been a tremendous success story. The younger generation has demonstrated significant intrigue in learning how to build and program their own computer device. And what has been great to see is the enormous growth in the hobbyist market. I have seen projects from Twittering chickens to home beer brewing kits being created using the Raspberry Pi and its accessories."

element14 added that there's lot more in store for computing enthusiasts from Raspberry Pi in 2013.